Summer Twilight
by The Pen Vs The Sword
Summary: With summer coming to a close, Dipper finds an unusual way to enjoy the last days with an unexpected person. Dipper/Pacifica. One-shot.


**A/N:**

**Sword:** Oooo, I've been excited to do one of these!

I can tell. Would you like to start?

**Sword:** Gladly! Hello! Gravity Falls and all related material belong to Alex Hirsch and Disney. The story, me, and Pen belong to the author. Please do not use without permission. Thank you and enjoy!

**Summer Twilight**

Dipper raised his eyes, shading them from the especially bright summer sun overhead. Despite the dense canopy of trees in the forest, the light and heat beat down on him hard today, almost making him look forward to the end of this season and the beginning of fall. Almost.

He checked the path ahead, noting more steep hill to climb, with large fallen branches laid out like uneven steps, flanked by stones and thick foliage on either side. Behind him lay treetops in the valley and the soft chittering of birds in the quiet air. If he stood very still, he could hear the welcome summer breeze before it approached and brushed his cheeks, snaking through his shirt and cooling him off.

He was going to miss this town terribly. The day they were set to leave seemed to be too close and he didn't know how he was going to board that bus when the time came.

_No, no thinking like that_, Mabel's voice told him. She had noticed his dour expression before leaving with Grenda and Candy to spend their last precious time together and had offered to let him tag along.

"No thanks," he said. "I'll find something to do around here."

"Fine, but do something, okay? No sad faces."

Eventually, while flipping through Ford's journals, he had come across some interesting creatures he hadn't read about yet. With nothing better to do, he set out into the woods, the journal his guide to these yet unknown beings.

Now, however, he felt lost. He flipped through the journal, searching for any other pages about his current quarry, and failing to find anything more. Returning to the only page for it, he skimmed the information again. _Wererabbit. Normally found in the European region, some species are thought to have migrated here. Little is known about the creatures except for a tendency to transform under the full moon, much like their more vicious cousin, the werewolf._

Dipper had been sure he had found some tracks matching a wererabbit in the valley, but looking around the ground, they had disappeared without a trace. Like all the other creatures he had tried to find, this one seemed like it would be wild goose chase too. _Just keep climbing_, he told himself. _You'll come across them sooner or later._

Tucking the journal in his jacket, Dipper scaled the branches and sharp incline, carefully watching his step lest he put his weight on a rock and tumble down the hillside. Within minutes, he had surmounted the top, emerging onto the edge of the forest and into the sunlight.

He blinked, searching for any sign of animals or wererabbits, but didn't see anything beyond an empty field in front of him. Out of the corner of his eye, he spied a large building towering high into the sky and presiding haughtily over the town below – Northwest Manor.

"I must've lost my bearings," he mumbled to himself, checking the hilltop and wondering how much attention he had really been paying to where he had been walking. No wonder he had lost the tracks. Wererabbits wouldn't come this high up, according to the journal.

He almost re-entered the woods, but the manor compelled him to stay. The surrounding wall and gate had been heavily damaged during Bill's rampage, putting the manor on full display. The outer walls of the manor itself had lost their gleaming richness, the curtain windows hung torn and faded, and the general appearance, once sparkling with opulence and luster, now stood no longer center of wealth and power, but run-down and broken. Out front A large red FOR SALE sign had been staked in the lawn, in desperate need of a manicure, and several moving trucks sat dormant in the circular driveway.

It was a jarring change from how he last remembered it. Back at the party when he had been hired by the Northwests to rid them of their ghost. Back on that night when Pacifica had saved them.

As if thinking about her summoned her presence, the very girl stepped out the front door, holding a large, bulging garbage bag at arm's length. She had a close pin on her nose and long cleaning gloves, the latter which she discarded as soon as she hurled the garbage into a trash can. She pulled out a bottle of air freshener, spraying around herself and the garbage can.

Dipper rolled his eyes, yet found himself smiling. Not just smiling, but walking, striding forth onto the grounds, directed straight to Pacifica. For some reason, he couldn't stop, even though he wasn't sure why he was heading toward her.

When she had stopped spraying, she noticed him and seemed as surprised by him as he had been of Northwest Manor. "What are you doing here?"

"Just," it was now very hard to talk as well, words eluding him, "walking through the woods, tracking a wererabbit."

She raised an eyebrow and her jaw dropped in confusion. "A what rabbit?" Before he could explain, she shook her head. "Nevermind. I don't have time. Have fun with your pear-bunny, or whatever. I have work to do."

"Packing for the move?" he asked. "I heard about it on the news."

"Yes, and we need to be out in a few days."

"You're not moving out of Gravity Falls, are you?" For some reason, the idea worried him.

"No, just to a mo-mo-mo," she struggled on the word, as if it tasted vile in her throat, and finally forced it out, "_motel_ on the other side of town until we find a house."

"Oh," he said. That was when he noticed the lack of noise for such a large move. "Where is everyone? Is it just you packing?"

She headed toward the door, Dipper trailing behind her. "For now. My parents ran out for some errands – change of address, transfer of the manor's ownership, and such. And unfortunately, we can't afford to retain our butlers, so they were let go. But it's fine." Her eye twitch said otherwise. "I've only chipped one nail today and found a dead rat while cleaning out the cellar this morning. I'd say I've put in a hard day's work."

Dipper glanced back at the woods, wondering if he should leave as Pacifica opened the door. He was still curious about that wererabbit. Instead, he put his hands in his pockets and said, "Sounds like a lot for one person."

Pacifica stopped before closing the door, looking back at him and he continued, "I mean, I don't have anything I need to do today. So if you'd like, I could, y'know, help pack. If you want."

Her eyes widened. "Really?"

He shrugged. "Sure, why not? I owe you one."

She bent down beside the doorway and immediately lobbed two large, smelly garbage bags toward him. "Great! Here, you can start with these. Once you finish, meet me in my room."

She sprinted up the stairs inside, leaving him with the foul-smelling bags. He was pretty sure there was something dead in one and assumed it to be the rat. Gagging on the strong smell, which he could now taste, he heaved them to the garbage can, already starting to regret this as the stench overpowered his nose. _I'll smell that for days._

Once he had thrown the bags into the can, he ran into the house, distancing himself as far as possible from the odors. The inside had certainly changed since the party. Boxes replaced most of the vases, chairs, and other decor, and the larger furniture was draped in sheets like oddly-shaped ghosts. He trudged up the stairs, still coughing out the remains of the garbage stench from his mouth.

"Good, you're here," Pacifica said, once he entered her room. Most of the clothes and belongings were scattered on the floor, surrounding cardboard boxes. "That should be the last of the garbage."

"You're welcome," Dipper said tersely, walking in and checking one of the boxes. Empty, as all of them seemed to be. "So what now?"

"Only my room left," she said, picking up some clothes and quickly packing them away. "Just box anything you see."

With no real particular place to start, Dipper dropped on his knees where he stood and gathered up any and all items. Clothes upon clothes, make-up that he had never seen before, and enough earrings and necklaces to stock a jewelry store.

"So, what are you and your parents going to do now?" Dipper asked, putting away a pile of dresses.

Pacifica's hand paused for a moment, then tossed more items into her box. "I'm not sure. I think Dad is looking into some things. But I fear he may have to get a, you know." She trailed off, waiting for Dipper to finish the cursed thought.

"A job?" She winced at the word and he chuckled. "Well, if you want to keep up this lifestyle, you may all have to get jobs." A sly grin wormed up his face at her discomfort of the notion. "I wonder where you might work. Maybe," he pretended to give it some thought, "Greasy's Diner?"

"Ugh!" she stuck out her tongue and made retching noises. "Don't you dare even joke about that! As if I would work there."

"Why not?" he said teasingly. "A nice little apron, pink shirt covered in fryer oil and food stains. What's not to love about a job like that?"

"Keep talking, Pines," she said, raising a sharp golden hair needle. "I'm warning you. Wererabbits will be the least of your problems when I'm done with you."

"Okay, okay, no Greasy's," he said, shutting the first box and moving onto the next. "Maybe it'll be fine. I'm sure you can coast for a while." He reached into a pile and pulled out a stuffed llama plushie. Confused, he held it up and Pacifica snatched it out of his hand.

"That's nothing," she said, throwing it into a box all the same. "Why don't you check the closet? I'll finish up here."

Hopping up, he threw open Pacifica's closet, finding her golf set, some books, and a television set. Oddly enough, he noticed a game console hooked up to the television, with a game still inside. Reading off the name, he stared over his shoulder. "No way. You play Bloodcraft: Overdeath?"

Pacifica's cheeks heated up and she looked away with a small smile. "Um, sometimes. I'm a level 100 Deathslayer."

He was impressed. "That's cool."

"My parents don't know about it so I hide it in there. Just put it at the bottom of one of the boxes and put some clothes on top of it."

He nodded and packed the television and console away as she requested. He wondered if there was anything else in the room that would surprise him about Pacifica and found he actually wanted to explore a bit. This was a rare opportunity to glimpse of another side of her and he didn't want to waste it.

Digging through the closet, he didn't find anything else that stood out to him. Only more clothes. _How many dresses does a girl need?_ he wondered, taking down an armful. _And why are most of these pink?_

"Admiring the work?" she asked, noticing him studying the gowns. "The one on top was made of Egyptian silk. It's much richer to the skin than normal silk."

He lifted up the hem, rubbing it between his fingers. "Feels no different to me."

"You just don't have any fashion sense," she said. "Even your sister, however misguided and outrageous her outfits, has some semblance of fashion. You could stand for a makeover."

"No thanks," he said, depositing the dresses and turning back to the closet. Among a pile of more outfits, he found a tuxedo in her closet, a little large for him, but a deep ebony that wasn't half-bad.

"Oh, so he is _pining_ for something new," Pacifica said, standing behind him.

Caught off-guard, Dipper flung the tuxedo and more pink clothes into box. "I _pink _not!"

Laughing, she picked out the tuxedo and held it up to him, tilting her head and appraising him, then directing him to a mirror in the room. "See? I told you you could use a new wardrobe." He didn't like to admit it, but she was right. It did fit him well.

"Maybe," he said.

"I'm right," she said, straightening one of the cuffs. "After all, you cleaned up well in that one at the party."

She realized what she said as soon as soon as Dipper had and both of them broke off from the mirror, each turning anywhere else except to face the other. Dipper's own face felt like it was on fire and Pacifica stammered out an excuse. "Y-You know what I mean. It suited you, is all."

"Yeah, thanks" he said. Then, an ounce of boldness building in his chest, he caught Pacifica's eye and added, "You looked nice too in your dress. Very," his tongue stumbled over every possible adjective. He had half a mind to say "pretty", yet settled on "nice" again.

"Thank you," she said, returning to her box. While he closed and taped up his own box's lids, she cleared her throat. "So, you and Mabel are leaving soon?"

"Yeah," he said. Looking outside, he was surprised to see the sun starting to move toward the treetops. Pretty soon, the day would be over and that would be one day closer to leaving, something he didn't want to do at all.

"Oh," she said quietly, tracing a spot in the floor for a few moments. "Will you two be coming back next summer?"

"Definitely."

"That's good." She taped up her own box and pushed it to a corner. "I know a lot of people around town will miss you two."

He almost asked if that included her, but she had her back turned toward him and he wondered if she was deliberately avoiding him now. "We will too," he said quietly.

They worked on in silence for a while longer, piling boxes high in the corner until the room was nearly spotless. As Dipper stacked some jewelry boxes, he stood back and appraised their work. "Looks finished over here."

"Yeah," Pacifica said, shoving the last box away. "I'm glad you were you here."

He rubbed the back of his neck. "Like I said, I owed you one. I never did thank you for saving us that night of the party."

"Well, I should thank you too," she said, leaning against the stack of boxes and folding her arms. "You and Mabel saved the town. And at the party, you helped me see some truths that I avoided for a long time. That," she took a deep breath, "that did more for me than you know." Then she frowned and pointed an intimidating finger at him. "Tell anyone I said that and I'll sue you for slander."

Nodding, Dipper leaned against the boxes beside her and zipped his mouth. "Your secret's safe with me." Her expression softened and settled back into taking in the now empty room.

Dipper, however, was too focused on Pacifica herself. Maybe he was going crazy, but he had actually had a good time with her this afternoon. With Pacifica Northwest, the girl who not so long ago, he had declared as "the worst". Perhaps she was right. The night of the party had affected her more than he realized and he had to admit, he enjoyed this new side of Pacifica.

When the shadows began creeping far into the room, Dipper figured it was time to leave. "It's getting late. I better get going," he said, stretching as he stood up.

"Yeah," she said, escorting him back downstairs. "It might be good if you were gone before my parents came back. Dad's still not thrilled with you."

That didn't shock Dipper in the slightest. Yet even with that threat looming overhead, he found it difficult to leave once he stood at the entrance's threshold. "I guess I'll see you later." He actually wanted to hang out with her more before he and Mabel had to leave and wondered if he would have a chance to.

"You too," she said.

Dipper's mind told him that was his cue to leave, but his body stayed still. _You're making this awkward_, he thought. But Pacifica didn't move either. Both kept looking around, catching the other's eyes, then quickly breaking contact to survey their surroundings once more.

"So next summer?" she asked again, as if re-affirming it.

"Yeah," he said. "Even if we have to hitchhike."

"Still going to be a long time."

"True," he said. "I'll miss you." Then quickly added, "And, er, everyone else."

Her face froze and for a moment, he thought she would burst out laughing. Then Pacifica leapt forward, embracing him tight. "I'll miss you too." His own arms circled around her, returning the hug, and he felt strangely warm in her hold. He thought he heard a sniff and a strangled hiccup, but she broke off from him before he could check.

Pacifica turned back to the manor, raising her head skyward. "Yeah, like I said, everyone will miss you two. Guess we'll all have to survive any ghosts and demons on our town until next year."

"I think the Falls will manage," Dipper said. "And we might be able to come up for Christmas if we can convince our parents."

Pacifica looked sidelong at him, rubbing her arm and blinking a little too quickly. "That wouldn't be bad." Then she smiled and that warm feeling returned to his body, despite no longer being in her embrace. "Take care."

"Y-You too," he said and tottered off to the woods, glancing over his shoulder now and again as she watched him head back home.

Dipper's mind was blank, swimming with thoughts of that afternoon and Pacifica, so wrapped up in a haze that his feet carried him through the woods and back down the trail. When he finally took stock of his location, he found himself at the Mystery Shack.

He entered the shack, passing through the living room, where Mabel, Grenda, and Candy were watching television, and to his bed. Before he crossed the room, Mabel asked, "Have a fun day?"

He slowly stopped and his mouth, heavy and working hard to speak, mumbled, "Yeah, I did."

Mabel caught his face and intensely scrutinized him and his body language. "Anything interesting happen?"

"Not really," he said. "Just went out." He was suddenly aware of her gaze and how she could almost pierce right through him with her eyes. _Twin thing, _he realized_._ She read him easily, sensing something had happened, and it wouldn't take her long to figure out, faster than his lethargic brain would take to make something up. He snapped out of his trance quickly enough to break for the stairs, refusing to give her any longer to study him. Already, he heard excited whispers and hisses from the trio as he shut the door.

"Did you see that?"

"He was acting a little weird."

"I _know_ that face! I've _seen_ that face!"

When he finally flopped into bed, Dipper stared up at the ceiling for the longest time. Eventually, in the cracks of the roof and the marking in the wood, a house began to form, tall, as if on a hill overlooking the room. And a face that seemed awfully familiar.

He turned in his bed and closed his eyes, knowing he would find little sleep. After all, now, more than ever, he couldn't wait for next summer and what it would bring.

**A/N:** Well, it was nice to dip our toes into this, but I think that's all for n-

**Sword:** *pulls up in a speed boat with S.S. Dipcifica written on the side* Get in, loser. We're going shipping.

Oh, alright then. *drags Pen along* Thank you all for reading and please let us know what you think of it.

**Pen:** No! I refuse to be a part of this! Leave me aloooooone!


End file.
